Fayetteville State University (FSU) is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina. As a historically Black institution with a rich 138-year history in excellence in education, FSU is also one of the most diverse universities in North Carolina and the nation. The goal of the FSU SCORE program is to enhance and expand biomedical research capability at FSU. Successful attainment of this goal is expected to impact the overall MBRS SCORE program by increasing the number of underrepresented minorities engaged in biomedical research. To achieve this goal, four objectives have been proposed: Objective 1: To increase the research productivity of faculty; Objective 2: To improve facilities for conducting biomedical research; Objective 3: To build connections with scientists at research-intensive institutions; Objective 4: To position the institution to win external research funding. Activities of the FSU SCORE Program that will facilitate achievement of these objectives include: (1) providing release time to faculty engaged in research, (2) expanding research supporting staff, (3) establishing an MBRS Research Laboratory, (4) establishing an External Subproject Advisory Committee (ESAC), and (5) instituting a SCORE Research Seminar Series. Performance measures designed to evaluate the achievement of the FSU SCORE goal and objectives include: (1) Each funded subproject will produce at least one publication within first two years and at least 4 publications in by the end of the four-year funding cycle;(2) Each SCORE faculty will give at least one research presentation at a national research conference each year;(3) The MBRS Research Laboratory will be established and functioning within the first 6 months of the SCORE funding;(4) The MBRS Research Laboratory will increase the research space by 400 square feet;(5) At least two of the funded subprojects will develop regular research projects by the end of the 4-year funding cycle;(6) The number of new research grants awarded to faculty of Department of Natural Sciences will increase 100% from 2 per year to 4 per year by the end of the funding period.